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TexasBushwhacker

(20,043 posts)
8. I agree about the dialogue
Fri Aug 31, 2012, 06:15 PM
Aug 2012

The thing is, you need to have the dialogue with your family before you get ill and you need to put your wishes in writing in the form of a living will. I think we have to question the wisdom of doing elaborate and expensive procedures and treatments on the elderly. Neil Armstrong underwent surgery for blocked coronary arteries on August 7th and died less than 3 weeks later. That was an expensive and risky surgery that ultimately didn't extend his life. At 82, how much could they expect to extend his life anyway?

I've lost both my parents. They were both on Medicare. My mother chose to discontinue chemotherapy because it wasn't helping anymore, even though her oncologist was willing to continue treating her. Of course she was willing. She was still getting paid by Medicare! My father died from complications following a massive stroke. One of his doctors told his wife that he would never recover, but she refused to accept that. So she let the other doctors put in a pacemaker, and then a feeding tube, and then when he got a 4th degree bedsore on his tailbone they did a colostomy and eventually put him on a ventilator. This was over a span of 4 months, about 6 weeks in ICU. I can't even begin to imagine how much Medicare was charged for my father to die. Not for him to live. That was never going to happen. For him to die. All I can hope is that he wasn't in any physical pain. There are doctors and hospitals who will treat and charge as much as they can to Medicare and Medicaid, even if it's not in the best interest of the patient. We as patients and caregivers need to make that stop.

Well, like the USA, if they squanderd less money on useless wars the people could have some care. xtraxritical Aug 2012 #1
FIrst of All oldsarge54 Aug 2012 #7
I disagree... SoapBox Aug 2012 #10
Sorry, lost my temper oldsarge54 Aug 2012 #22
Seriously? SkyDaddy7 Aug 2012 #24
Too bad defense contractors make shit we don't need or want when they could be making things valerief Aug 2012 #15
My son lives in UK riverbendviewgal Aug 2012 #2
Fix this how? dipsydoodle Aug 2012 #5
really? CountAllVotes Aug 2012 #17
But when I was in the UK a few years ago, Lydia Leftcoast Aug 2012 #19
This was in the north of Ireland CountAllVotes Aug 2012 #20
According to the article the problems are at least partly caused by privatization. drm604 Aug 2012 #3
That's excessive expenditure on PFI's dipsydoodle Aug 2012 #4
What are PFIs? drm604 Aug 2012 #16
They're doing that here already bucolic_frolic Aug 2012 #6
I agree about the dialogue TexasBushwhacker Aug 2012 #8
same thing happened to my father, in ICU at Johns Hopkins 7 wks, gave operations & he died wordpix Aug 2012 #13
Cue GOP cherry-picking in 3..2..1... nolabear Aug 2012 #9
...ditto. SoapBox Aug 2012 #11
Are you taking this in the proper context? DavidL Aug 2012 #12
And in the UK they're having a public discussion about the problem. cheapdate Aug 2012 #14
Dudes, this is happening in the US. They call it "Managed Care." McCamy Taylor Aug 2012 #18
The Conservative government government will privatize the NHS Rosa Luxemburg Aug 2012 #21
The conservative party here in South Korea was trying to do the same thing davidpdx Aug 2012 #23
Latest Discussions»Latest Breaking News»(UK) NHS rationing is put...»Reply #8